brooks



S K 0 0 R B J m d o M 0 W METALLIC SEAL.

Patented Oct. 16, 1883.

l/VVEIVTOH.

WITNESSES (40 Q/zwfl Edward J/"iz'aa/ts By his A Mummy N. PETERs. mmum h hm. Wanhington, n. c

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC EDWARD J. BROOKS, or EAST ORANGE, NEW- Jnnsnv, nssicnon ro n. J.

BROOKS & 00., OF NEVV' YORK, N. Y.

. l METALLIC SEAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of LettersIPatent No. 286,775, dated October 16, 1883. Application filed January 2, 1883. (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD J. BROOKS, a citizen of the United States, residing at East Orange, in the State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Metallic Seals, of which the following is a'speciand-eyelet seals, and have so applied said.

This invention relates to the construction of tin and eyelet seals for securing the doors of railway freight-cars, and for like uses.

Heret ofore tin and eyelet seals, so termed,

' cheapness in first cost, but sometimes lose this advantage inuse, especially in winter, owing to the loss of the small and slippery eyelets from between cold or gloved fingers. Moreover, to align the holes in the respective ends of the tin strip, and insert the small eyelet and keep it in place until it is pressed, involves no little skill, and is frequently slow work, owing to inexperience, dark, or cold, and, in addition to this, carrying and handling two distinct parts for each seal is inconvenient, and to properly insert the eyelet in a lettered or colored strip, so that its lettered or colored face shall be outside, is frequently difficult in sealing cars at night or in a blinding storm.

In my specifications forming part of Letters Patent No. 246,068, dated August 23, 1881, and No. 260,279, dated June 27, 1882, I describe and claim two forms of lead-and-tin seals, having their parts permanently united in the process of manufacture, and set forth some of the advantages of this mode of making seals. I have discovered that I can apply the same principle with additional advantages in the manufacture of what I have termed tinprinciple, my present invention consisting in a tin-andeylet seal composed of a strip of tin or equivalent sheet metal having a hole in each 'end, and an eyelet of lead or equivalent soft metal cast fast in one of said holes, and having its stem fitted to the other of said holes as a new article of manufacture.

As compared with other tin and lead seals my said tinand-eyelet seal is adapted to be made exceedingly light, and therefore cheap er,

of ordinary eyeleting-pliers, like other tin-andeyelet seals. As compared with these it is more easily pressed, and the strip ends cannot be burst by the expansion of the eyelet, owing to the soft metal of the latter. It is also adapted to be provided in the sealing or eyeleting press with lettering on distinguishing marks impressed in the soft metal, as aforesaid, and is adapted to be made complete from tin sheets and lead pigs or scraps of tin and lead in one factory, besides its freedom from the special objections to tin-and-eyelet seals as heretofore made, and the objections com 111011 to seals which consist of two distinct parts which mustbe put together, often under great disadvantages, preliminary to pressing each seal, as hereinbefore set forth.

In the sheet of drawings accompanying this specification, and forming part thereof, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a tin-and-eyelet seal constructed according to this invention as it comes from the factory. Fig. 2 is an edge View thereof, partly in section, showing it ready for the press; and Fig. 3 is a likeview of the same pressed. Figs. 4 and 5 are fragmentary sectional views, and Fig. 6 a corresponding face view of another substantially similar seal, illustrating a modification; and Fig. 7 is aface view of athird seal, illustrating another modification of the same invention.

Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

In each form my said new seal consists ofa low stem or tube of the eyelet, which, being cast therein, tightly fills it, and sufficiently overlaps the surrounding metal of the strip to preclude accidental separation. In so casting the eyelet a mold may be used in the manner and of the construction substantially set forth in my said specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 260,279, and illustrated by Fig. 7 of its drawings, with a central pin or wire fixed or removable as an axial core.

- The eyelet E may be as small, or nearly as small, as the sheetmetal eyelets heretofore used, as illustrated by Figs. 1 to 3, or, as illustrated by Figs. 4 to 6, the eyelet E may be cast with a rim, 0, sufficiently wide to receive suitable distinguishing marks or letteringsuch as the initialsof a railroad arranged in acircleas shown in Fig. 6. The strip S may likewise be of plain tin, which Figs. 1 to 3 may illustrate; or the face of the strip S may be of a distinguishing color or tint, (red for one road, for example, and blue for another, or yellow for one direction of travel and green for another, or any like arbitrary or appropriate contrasts,) which Figs. 4 to 6 may illustrate; or the face of each strip S may be lettered and numbered,

or either lettered or numbered, by printing the same, or otherwise, as illustrated by Fig. 7.

Fig. 7 shows a new and preferred arrange- .been proposed.

ment of such strip-1narks (Z (V, acomplete mark for each side or exposure of the face of the bent strip being provided by duplicating the same at the respective ends of the strip. The eyelet being cast in insures the proper exposure of the face, besides facilitating the preparation of the seal for the press, as hereinbefore set forth. The eyelet E (shown in Fig. 7 may be similar to either of the others, E or E.

I am aware that an eyelet of sheet metal integral with a sheet-metal sealing-strip has This forms no part of my i11- vention, and, together with the combination, with a sheet-metal sealing-strip, of a separate sh eet-metal eyelet, such as are commonly used, is hereby disclaimed as old.

' I claim as my invention- As a new article of manufacture, an improved tin-and-eyelet seal, composed of a strip of sheet metal having holes a b in its respective ends. and an eyelet of soft metal cast fast within the said hole a, with its stem projecting from the back of the strip and fitted to the said hole I), as herein specified, for the purposes set forth.

EDlVAR-D J. BROOKS.

Vitncsses:

L. F. Hovnr, N. S. KLINE. 

